SUPER Saturday, sponsored by Emirates, certainly lived up to its name at Meydan last weekend. The dress rehearsal for the $35 million Dubai World Cup card included a pair of Group 1 races, four other group events and a listed race. All races were run over the course and distances of races on the big night.

The evening’s highlight saw the return of last year’s Dubai World Cup winner Thunder Snow in the $600,000 Group 1 Al Maktoum Challenge R3 over 10 furlongs. However, it was turned into a procession by Capezzano (Bernardini) who was sent straight to the front by Mickael Barzalona and was never headed for trainer Salem bin Ghadayer. Owned by Sultan Ali, the five-year-old gelding sauntered home by nine and a half lengths, winning over the trip for the first time.

“He’s an honest horse,” Ghadayer said. “We thought why not try him over 10 furlongs. This horse really is amazing when he decides to run. His problem is he’s a little bit tricky of a horse and he needs to keep calm and relax. He has a big future.” Barzalona added “I wasn’t very confident about the longer trip, but Salem told me to try it. Just before I asked him to go, the last three furlongs, he really picked up nicely.”

Thunder Snow’s trainer Saeed bin Suroor was pleased with the runner-up effort: “He got tired, just like we said before the race. He will improve from the race and will be ready for World Cup night.”

RECORD TIME

One of the highlights of the day belonged to Sheikh Hamdan’s Muntazah (Dubawi), who provided Doug Watson with a second winner on the card and second consecutive victory in the $350,000 Group 3 Burj Nahaar. The race is over the same trip on dirt as the Godolphin Mile, a race in which he was second last March, and he won by 10 lengths in a record time, the first horse to break the 1m 35secs mark at the course.

Winning rider Jim Crowley said: “He keeps improving and he showed that tonight.”

Watson added: “He’s a big horse who needs racing and he’s doing it well. He’s a miler. Maybe next year, if we get a chance to stretch him out, we could go the World Cup route.”

William Buick was able to extricate Old Persian (Dubawi) from traffic problems just in time to provide Charlie Appleby and Godolphin with a hat trick, beating Racing History by a short-head in the $300,000 Group 2 Dubai City of Gold over 12 furlongs on turf.

There was a three-length gap back to David Simcock’s Grade 1 winner Desert Encounter in third.

Buick found a willing partner in the colt who was a Royal Ascot winner last year, as well as beating the subsequent Melbourne Cup winner Cross Counter in the Great Voltigeur Stakes at York.